The Art of War
by BabeRuthless87
Summary: Ever heard of a female trauma surgeon? Neither had most of the men in 101st Airbourne. It wasn't until she was standing in front of them, talking that they began to realize the rumors were true, 506th PIR just enlisted their first female trauma medic and surgeon, and she goes by Adaline Montgomery.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: This is a story of fiction, and in no way intended to disrespect the real men of Easy Company. This story was written based on the actors portrayals from the HBO mini-series. I own nothing except my Original Character, Adaline.**

 _"The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal; because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."_

-Home "The Iliad"

The fear of death has been prevalent since man first walked this earth, but it's not just the fear of death itself, but of what's waiting on the other side after one has taken their final breath in this mortal world. For ancient Romans and Greeks, they didn't fear death; they openly embraced it with welcoming arms. To them, what they truly feared was the legacy they left behind; would they be remembered for their courageous actions, or would their names fade into nothingness like a dimly lit candle on a stormy night?

To mortals, death is a mysterious and elusive creature that plagues their thoughts while confounding them. It boggles the mind so as to keep anyone from attempting to understand its uncharted territories until the day Fate intervenes and decides that you have a date with the Grim Reaper.

For Adaline, she had experienced more death in her short life than one would experience if they lived to a ripe old age. When she thought about death, which was probably more than what any person would deem acceptable, she often thought back on her brothers. She wondered if it would've made any bit of difference had they known what awaited them on December 7th as they shipped out to Hawaii. Would they have tried to do more than they had to not only spare their own fates but the fates of countless others?

Adaline once heard a rumor that right before you die, your entire life supposedly flashes before your eyes. At first, she scoffed at the ridiculous notion, but then her thoughts drifted to her parents...and it made her wonder if they had experienced such a thing before the collision with an oncoming vehicle that took them much too soon from this earth. She'd even heard rumors from those who claimed to have had a brush with death, experiencing a similar phenomenon. Now that was something she found to be a little farfetched, especially given the fact that she'd had a near death experience of her own. She was in the backseat when her parents crashed, and she didn't have her life flash before her eyes.

As she got older, Adaline chose a career that placed her on the frontline against the war on Death. She knew the moment she decided to become a surgeon, she was signing herself up for a never-ending battle that she might sometimes lose. Even with that knowledge firmly etched into her subconscious, she still refused to give up until her patient's last breath had long passed. She was the one who refused to surrender, resolving to be a force of nature until she had exhausted any and all possible avenues; only then would she ever wave the white flag and admit defeat.

Even now as she hunched over one of the boys who'd collapsed in the middle of the chaotic street in Carentan; with debris cluttering the streets as bullets pinged dangerously close by her, she didn't flinch or bat an eyelash. The loud bangs from the endless grenades and enemy mortars reverberated and shook the tiny country town; even then, she still refused to leave and seek cover.

To anyone who truly knew Adaline knew that she was a person who didn't fear death; with that kind of mentality, especially for a woman...many found that to be a little...insane, especially given the fact that she was currently neck deep in the middle of a god damn war. At that moment, Adaline didn't care if anyone thought her to be reckless because she didn't give a second thought towards her own well-being, her main concern lay with the young soldier before her, whose life she currently held in the palm of her bloodied hands, working tirelessly to get him stable enough to be transferred to the aid station.

As she moved to stand up and prepare to move the wounded paratrooper, her attention was momentarily distracted by Lipton's frantic voice drawing closer towards them; calling out orders for the boys to spread out. Looking up towards him, neither one noticed the enemy artillery that bore straight towards them. In a 'blink and you missed it' moment, Adaline suddenly found herself airborne, flying across the street as if she'd developed some of kind superpower. Colliding harshly against the opposing stone structure, her shoulder, and back bearing the brunt of the impact, the pain temporarily disorienting her.

Rapidly blinking, Adaline groaned, wincing sharply as she pushed herself to sit up, using the wall as support while she tried to gather her bearings. In the distance, she could hear the frantic shouts from the men, their screams laced heavily with concern and fear of what they might discover once they got to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Adaline caught sight of a shadowed figure moving swiftly through the thick dust cloud. Panic rushing through her veins like ice; she instinctively reached for her sidearm, drawing it in preparation. It wasn't until she heard that familiar Cajun drawl call out her name, that she allowed herself to relax somewhat.

Just as she was about to retort with a wiseass comment about the whole ordeal, it quickly died before reaching her lips as an unfamiliar feeling made her stomach clench tightly. The distraught and disconcerting look on Roe's usually schooled features unnerved her greatly as her eyes slowly followed his line of sight. Adaline inhaled sharply as she finally took note that the leg of her once tan BDUs was not only torn but stained crimson.

 _'Is this what fear feels like?'_


	2. Chapter One: The New Kid on the Block

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction, and is in no way intended as a sign of disrespect towards the real men of Easy was written based on the actors portrayals from the HBO mini-series. I own nothing except my Original Character, Adaline.**

 _"I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think."_

-Socrates

Have you ever found yourself in one of those extremely uncomfortable situations where, through no fault of your own, you somehow managed to become the sole focus of an entire room full of people you've never met? Every single pair of eyes silently judging you, making you wish that you could magically disappear...that would accurately describe how Dr. Adaline Montgomery was currently feeling as she sat on the makeshift stage while attempting to focus on Colonel Sink rather than the room full of visibly restless soldiers.

Normally, Adaline wouldn't find the whole idea of public speaking to be so daunting, but this wasn't the general public...this was numerous companies of men who clearly didn't know what to think as Sink carried on speaking about her 'great achievements' as a woman in the medical field. She wasn't particularly fond of people talking about her like she was some kind of mythical creature, it usually resulted in making her job that much harder.

Stealing a couple of glances towards the crowd, Adaline's eyes rapidly scanned across the sea of numerous faces; each one seeming to be identical as if they were all thinking the same thing. She knew that _look_ all too well. When one introduces themselves as a surgeon, it's typically met with looks of admiration and awe, however, when you're a female who claims to be a surgeon; you tend to receive quite a different reception. _Female_ and _surgeon_ were two words that rarely ever made an appearance together in the same sentence unless it was being used in the context of a bad joke.

Though the building they were in was quite large, it did nothing to dispel the stifling humidity brought on from the Georgia summer heat. The air was thick and heavy, making it damn near impossible for one to not drown in a pool of their own sweat; even with the giant doors propped open, the little breezes they got were few and far between. Growing up in Louisiana, Adaline was used to such extreme temperatures, but she still mentally smacked herself for not taking the time to pin up her hair as she felt her thick red locks adhere to the perspiration coating the back of her neck.

Throwing another glance towards the group, a harsh reality hit her; she was back at square one again. She was literally at the very bottom of a long food chain like fresh meat dropped into a tank full of ravenous piranhas. From this moment on, every single word Adaline uttered and every action she performed was going to not only be heavily scrutinized but also criticized down to the minute degree. She would be lucky if she would survive this whole ordeal without having undergone some sort of mental breakdown.

 _'What in the hell am I doing?!'_ She muttered harshly to herself, or at least she had assumed it was to herself. She hadn't realized that someone had witnessed her questioning herself until she looked beside her and met the puzzled stare belonging to Colonel Strayer. All her life, Adaline was not known for being subtle, something which she mentally cursed herself for not taking the time to perfect. Hoping to diffuse the situation before it got really awkward, she flashed him a sheepish smile as she leaned in to whisper that her nerves were getting the better of her.

As Strayer continued to blankly stare at her, Adaline briefly contemplated bribing the man with hush money before he gave her a slight nod with a knowing smile. With a sigh of relief, she was honestly just grateful he stopped looking at her like she was a bearded lady.

 _'You have got pull yourself together, Monty.'_ The voice inside her head scolded, wagging a pointed finger at her. _'These men are like bloodhounds, one whiff of fear and they will descend upon you like a hurricane. You can't start doubting yourself if you want the men to trust you. So, pull yourself together and show them the spirited girl who didn't take shit from Dr. Asshat as you rushed his dying patient into emergency surgery.'_

"Now gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce this fine young woman, Doctor Adaline Montgomery; our new trauma surgeon and medic." Hearing Sink's introduction drew Adaline's attention to the hand that was being extended towards her. Taking a deep breath, she took Sink's hand, giving it a firm shake to convey her gratitude for all he had done for her.

With slow, steady steps, Adaline made her way to the small wooden podium. With every step, she silently prayed that she didn't trip or snap her ankle because of the atrocious death traps on her feet that were all the rage amongst the female population. Feeling the weight of every watchful eye on her coupled with the ridiculous humidity, Adaline made the sound decision to rid herself of the pristine white wool doctor coat. As she did, the room erupted with a mixture of cat calls, wolf whistles, and claps, causing her to roll her eyes dramatically at their childish antics to make her feel more uneasy.

"Y'all act as though you've never seen a woman take off her coat before." Adaline scoffed, earning a few chuckles as she leaned her weight against the podium. "As Colonel Sink explained to you; I am a trauma surgeon."

Adaline wasn't surprised by their reception at her statement; it was something she had become well-acquainted with every time someone asked her what she did for a living. The shocked and disbelieving looks were par for the course. She chalked it up as it was their mind's way of dealing with such a foreign concept. "I know what y'all are thinking; this has to be some kind of hoax, right? Well, I'd say that I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but I'm not. I've got the medical degrees at home to prove it."

"See, Colonel Sink here," Adaline gestured towards him with her head. "He asked me to come because not only am I damn good at what I do, I'm also here to help prepare each one of you for what you're about to encounter out there on the field. So, before I bore you to deal with my yammering, are there any questions you want to get out of the way?"

Adaline knew the moment she said that she had practically set herself in front of a firing squad. She was well aware that this could most definitely backfire on her, but she also knew that if she wanted to gain their trust, she was going to have to take whatever they threw her way. These men were on the brink of war, and here she was, this nobody that was standing in front of them, asking for their blind trust in her abilities. Adaline learned first-hand from her father that soldiers don't trust easily when it comes to newbies. She needed to give them time and an infallible reason to trust her with something as precious as their very lives.

She didn't have to wait long for the questions to start.

"What exactly is a trauma surgeon, ma'am?" A voice from the back of the room called out.

The hand that moved to grip the side of the podium unconsciously tightened at the moniker the soldier had used to address her as. While it was used as a sign of respect towards her gender, to Adaline, it made her feel much older than she was.

"That's a good question." She answered with a tight smile. "Before I answer that, though, I need to address one little thing. For future reference, please don't refer to me as ma'am, I work for a living. You can call me Doctor or Miss Adaline if you'd like." She explained before continuing.

"Now, to answer your question; trauma surgery and a trauma surgeon are still a new and relatively unknown specialty in the medical field. To be a trauma surgeon, one must be able to maintain a calm and focused demeanor while being able to functionally multitask under extremely stressful situations. As a trauma doctor, I see people at their absolute worst; I specialize in some of the most severe, life-threatening injuries out there. My job requires me to quickly assess and treat any and all injuries that threaten an individual's ability to remain in stable condition. To put it bluntly; I'm the one other doctors call when a person's injuries are so severe, that the only thing standing between them and the Grim Reaper himself...is me."

Adaline watched as an eerie silence swept over the room, leaving only the sounds of an occasional cough or clearing of a throat. Her explanation painted a very real and tangible picture for these me, which seemed to rob them of their voices. When Adaline decided to accept Sink's offer, she made it very clear to him that she wasn't going to sugar-coat the truth; those men didn't need that, what they needed, was to know that they had someone in their corner, ready and willing to fight Death himself for them.

"Why are we here?"

The unexpected question that broke the silence came from the lips of the dark haired man sitting right in front of Adaline. As her eyes drifted to him, she took note of his appearance, seeing that both he and the ginger haired gentleman next to him proudly sported the gold second Lieutenant bars on the collars of their perfectly pressed uniforms.

"Now that is a very excellent question, Lieutenant-" She drifted off, hoping he would pick up on the subtle hint to introduce himself. He didn't disappoint.

"Nixon, Lewis Nixon." He smirked, bringing the Lucky Strike up to his lips to take a deep drag.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Nixon; y'all had me worried with how quiet it got in here." Adaline sighed heavily, pretending to wipe the sweat from her brow in an overly dramatic fashion.

"Allow me to ask you a hypothetical question; what would you do if say...you and seven of your men suddenly found yourselves in a tight situation where you're pinned down by heavy enemy fire, leaving three of your men severely injured?"

"Well, Doc, I think I would call for a medic." He replied dryly, acting as if she had asked the most absurd question in the entire world.

"If it were a perfect textbook scenario, I'd be inclined to agree with you, Lieutenant." Adaline nodded. "However, we don't live in a perfect textbook world. So, say you call for a medic, but he's unable to get to you because he's also taking heavy fire. Or, the worse-case scenario; your medic is dead and you have no backup medic, what do you do then?"

Her question was met with silence as Nixon looked between her and his ginger friend, searching for the right answer in the space between the two of them. When he was unable to conjure any sort of answer, she intervened.

"That, Lieutenant Nixon, would be the reason as to why **you're** here, why you're **all** here, actually. You have to be prepared for the likelihood that you might one day find yourself in such a situation, where calling for a medic is no longer an option and you have to step up to the plate."

"None of us are naive to the fact there is a war going on out there, gentlemen. With that being said; it would make perfect sense to take out the individual responsible for getting the injured fixed up and back to kicking the enemy's ass. On the battlefield, taking out a medic essentially creates a domino effect; no medic means that those who get injured don't get treated and could ultimately die, which is a big plus to the enemy." Adaline paused to wet her parched lips. "Do y'all see where this is going?"

When some of the men nodded their heads in response, Adaline knew then she had their undivided attention; even Sink seemed keenly interested in what she had to say. As she continued with her lecture, she began to feel more in her element, the subtle confidence showing through her tone of voice. Adaline knew she still had a long way to get in truly proving herself, but she at least felt some form of mild satisfaction in knowing she'd made a decent start.

"Now, before I go and release you wild beasts back into the wild, I need to cover one last thing." She announced, causing a cacophony of groans to erupt. "Jesus, y'all are acting as if I'm some housewife nagging about the trash needing to be taken out. It's one little thing then y'all won't have to deal with me until next week." She scolded, trying to keep a smile at bay. "Over the next three weeks, you'll want to take notes over the materials I'll be covering because you'll find them to be extremely helpful towards passing the quiz at the end of this." More groans were voiced, only this time, much louder.

"Oh for crying out loud, it's not going to be **that** hard, I'm not a fucking sadist. Just pay attention, and you'll do fine." She scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Will it make you feel better if I were to offer those with the highest marks some kind of reward?"

"What kind of reward, Doc?" Nixon pressed, a salacious grin plastered upon his face. It was the kind of look that definitely implied something else entirely.

Adaline quirked an eyebrow as a half-smirk graced her lips. "Well, Lieutenant; if you're that eager to find out…pay attention and do well. Now, I will turn this back over to Colonel Sink."

Leaving them to think on that, Adaline took her leave, pausing momentarily to retrieve her discarded jacket before heading down the few steps at the edge of the stage. Giving the men a small smile and a brief wave, she made her way to her towards the aid station for her next assignment. A new shipment of supplies arrived first thing this morning, meaning that it was now up to her to spend the next few hours immersed in cataloging and inventory.

 **~{8}~**

Finally finished with dotting all the 'I's and crossing every 't', Adaline let out a tired groan as she craned her neck from side to side, stretching out knotted muscles and tendons. Setting the clipboard on the desk, she rubbed a hand over her face as her stomach took the opportunity to air its displeasure towards the lack of food with a sound that resembled a feral animal. The sound was loud enough that it not only startled Adaline, but the young nurse working beside her as well; causing the poor thing to jump, sending the freshly wrapped bandages sailing through the air.

To hide her embarrassment, Adaline quickly knelt down to retrieve them. As her gray ones met the wide gray ones, Adaline couldn't help but snicker at the look of absolute horror on the young girl's face. The nurse's face quickly fell into a scowl, which only served to make Adaline howl in laughter.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Gladys." She gasped between chuckles, clutching her stomach as she stood up. "I wasn't laughing at you; so to speak, it was more your reaction."

"I apologize for the mess, Dr. Montgomery; it's just, I've never heard a sound like that come from a person before." The young blonde exclaimed, eventually joining in with her own chuckle.

"Well, if I get so engrossed in my work that I forget to stop long enough to eat, you'll probably hear it again, I'm sure." She explained. "You don't suppose the canteen is still serving, do you?" Adaline asked, silently cursing herself for not remembering to wear her watch. She wanted something with a little more sustenance than what the chocolate back in her barracks would provide.

"It looks like you might have 15, maybe 20 minutes before you have to resort to bribing the cooks if you're lucky," Gladys replied, checking her watch.

Adaline winked as she toed off her heels, giving Gladys a gentle pat on the back as she passed her on her way out the door.

Stepping out into the evening air, Adaline paused to take in a deep lungful of the fresh country air. She was relieved that the air was no longer thick; with the sun already beginning its descent, the heat had reached a much more tolerable level as the humidity evaporated completely. It reminded Adaline of those summer nights back home in Baton Rouge; sitting alongside the lake near the house as Danny and Alex bickered while heading into the forest looking for suitable firewood.

The cherished memory of her brothers made Adaline's heart ache as her chest tightened. It would be a year in December since the events at Pearl Harbor, almost a year since she had allowed herself a moment to dwell upon happier times before the war. After receiving the devastating telegram that informed her of their deaths, Adaline couldn't stand the thought of living in the home they had bought a few years earlier. Everywhere she looked brought a constant reminder that they would never walk through the front door again, and with it a grim realization…she was completely and utterly alone in this world.

Shaking her head, Adaline forced those daunting thoughts from her mind as she began to jog towards the direction of the canteen, only slowing her pace as she neared the large structure. As she moved to open the double doors, she heard her name being mentioned, which caused her to pause as all thoughts towards food was momentarily forgotten. Adaline slowly inched towards the direction she heard her name being uttered; quickly realizing that she was the subject of an intimate discussion between three soldiers.

Fully aware that she was about to do, was something she utterly despised and swore she'd never do; curiosity got the better of her this time. Her father always said; if you want to truly know what someone's honest opinion is about you, don't listen to what they say to your face…listen to what they say when you're not present.

"You think that new doctor broad is the real deal?" A gruff, Philly-laced accent inquired.

"I don't know, Bill." Another voice replied with a heavy sigh. "I will say this; I've never heard a girl talk about such things like she did, so maybe she is. What do you think, Talbert?"

"I…I don't know. What I do know is she must be something to have Colonel Sink speak so highly of her. I guess we'll find out soon enough." A velvety smooth voice shot back.

"Eh, what the hell do you know anyways." The gruff voice replied dismissively. "I bet you was too busy oogling her to even notice if she spoke or not."

"And you two weren't?" The owner of the smooth voice scoffed indignantly.

Having heard enough, Adaline decided it was time for her to start getting to know the men.

Moving away from the canteen, she stepped out to where she would be easily spotted, slowly making her way towards the small group. "Evening, gentlemen." She greeted, keeping her tone soft and airy, even though it still managed to bring the conversation to a standstill. As they acknowledged her presence, they swiftly moved to stand up a bit straighter.

"Please tell me y'all aren't going to do this every single time I come around because I gotta be honest, I will abuse that power with pride." Adaline joked, attempting to make them relax a little.

As the three men remained dazed and somewhat dumbfounded by her sudden appearance, Adaline took a moment to really get a good look at the men. The one to her left was tall, his dark locks slicked back, making his jawline more pronounced. He reminded her of one of those men from the GI posters she'd seen plastered at the recruiting offices. His eyes were so dark, they appeared almost menacing. Adaline was willing to bet her hefty supply of chocolate that he could scare the shit out of Himmler himself with just a single look.

The man to her right was the shortest of the three, though he was still taller compared to Adaline's short stature. He also had brown locks that apparently took on a life of their own, despite being slicked down. Though he had brown eyes, they weren't nearly as dark as the other man's, especially with the mischievous glint residing within them that screamed he was up to no good.

The man standing in front of Adaline, however, was something else entirely. She had a feeling he was going to be a bit of a…problem. He was what her mama would call, 'too damn good looking for his own good', with his light mop of hair and alluring dark eyes. He kind of reminded Adaline of the notorious playboy all the nurses at the aid station were infatuated with.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Dr. Montgomery?" The man to her left asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"You know, I only mentioned calling me that because I didn't want a bunch of people calling me ma'am. Outside of the classroom, you can call me Adaline or Monty if you want." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm here because I scared the piss out of one of my nurses when my stomach demanded, quite loudly I might add, to be fed. What are you three up to?"

"Oh, you know, just uh…shooting the shit." The shorter man replied with a shit eating grin.

"Uh huh, is that right?" Adaline asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I recognize y'all from class earlier, but I never did catch your names." She innocently fished.

"George Luz." The short man supplied. "That's Bill Guarnere to your left, but we call him Gonorrhea." Luz chuckled as Adaline shot him a questioning look about the man's nickname. "And the pretty boy in front of you is Floyd Talbert or Tab."

"Talbert?" Adaline asked in surprise as her brain made the connection. She had heard that name being mentioned on numerous occasions by the nurses as they graphically praised his legendary 'bedside manner'. "You're the one whose been teaching my nurses a thing or two about beside manners, _Sergeant Yummypants._ "

It would be a lie to say that she didn't get a little bit of satisfaction from seeing Talbert squirm and flush with embarrassment at being called out on his extra-curricular activities. Adaline wasn't trying to be mean-spirited about it; she just wanted to let him know she knew exactly who he was. His two friends, however, were in complete hysterics over the whole situation.

"Sergeant Yummypants?!" Luz gasped, trying to catch his breath amidst the giggles. "Jesus, Tab, you know you'll never hear the end of it once the boys catch wind of it."

Talbert glowered at his friends, which only served to send them into another fit of giggles. Adaline felt a bit guilty at causing such a scene for the poor guy that she jumped in to spare him and his wounded ego any more pain.

"Alright, let's leave the man to lick his wounds in peace." She chimed in. Though she was the cause of his current misery, Talbert flashed her a small smile of gratitude. "I need a volunteer to help me bribe, I mean, **convince** the cooks to feed me."

George, having quickly recuperated from his fit, was the first to offer his services.

"Allow me, ma'am." He offered in a heavy Southern accent that resembled her own, extending his arm out to her like a perfect gentleman.

Accepting his arm, Adaline leaned in close to his ear. "I'm going to let you get away with calling me ma'am this one time because you're adorable and I'm too hungry to do anything right now, but be forewarned, the next time it happens…I won't hesitate in showing you what a good old fashioned Southern ass whooping in." She threatened, narrowing her eyes at him.

He paused, looking at her and gulping at the seriousness at which she exuded. Nodding his head, he led her into the canteen.


End file.
